Man pleads guilty in drug trafficking case

EDWARDSVILLE – An Indiana man, originally charged with two Class X counts of carrying a large amount of marijuana along Interstate 70, pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to four years in prison.

The plea came a day after the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed suit to force forfeiture of $2,941 from a woman suspected of carrying methamphetamine along Interstate 70.

Jonathan A. Matthews, 34, of Indianapolis, was originally charged with unlawful marijuana trafficking and unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

The vehicle he was driving was eastbound on Interstate 70 near Marine when it was stopped by state police.

Matthews was originally accused of transporting 5,000 grams or more of the drug, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for the prosecution’s agreement to drop the marijuana trafficking charge and reduce the unlawful delivery charge to possession of between 2,000 and 5,000 grams of marijuana.

On Thursday the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a forfeiture suit against Guadalupe Tafolla, who was charged with methamphetamine trafficking and unlawful possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. Tafolla’s charges are both Class X felonies.

Court documents claim she was stopped by state police, and she gave permission to search the vehicle. An officer allegedly found about 11 pounds of meth in a spare tire, plus the cash.

A document said an officer became suspicious when he noticed the spare tire did not fit in the spare tire well of the vehicle. He also reported the tire was heavier than an ordinary spare tire. He cut open the tire and found the suspected drugs.

The stop was made on Feb. 22, and Tafolla was charged on Feb. 24. She is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said in a news release in February that his office will remain alert to drugs being carried through Madison County on the interstate highways.

“Because of Madison County’s location at the crossroads of our nation’s interstate system, we are constantly seeing our highways used for drug trafficking. This case (Tafolla) is a perfect example of why, despite shrinking budgets, we need to continue being watchful and step up our interdiction efforts,” Gibbons said.